gone green

Oh how I love new beginnings, new days, new mornings, new months.  September is going to be wonderful, I can just feel it.

I was up at 5:45 again this morning.  This wasn’t nearly as hard as it was yesterday morning—no need for an alarm clock!  Imagine how easy it will be once I learn to actually go to bed earlier. 😉

Breakfast was eaten slow-food-style again this morning!  I so love, love, love having the extra time to relax before the rest of the day gets busy. 😀

I spent my second day of food service in the high school, meeting some more people (including the vice president of the school), and spending a lot of time working on writing out job descriptions for the employee positions.  I wish I would have thought to talk with the employees about this, just to hear firsthand what they think their job entails and whether the description is accurate or not.  I’ll have to remember to do that tomorrow when I bring them in for my preceptor’s approval. 😀

Lunch came at normal noon time today!  No grumbling, growling, cranky stomachs in sight (or hearing). 😉

Leftover Sausage and Broccoli Penne topped with feta cheese, from yesterday’s meal.

And lots of other snacky goodies.

• raw veggies—carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, green bell peppers
• fresh fruit—orange and apple slices
• almonds

Fun. Lunch. 😀

I came home around 2:30’ish, which gave me ample time to finish up the job description materials.  Going through half of them took me most of the afternoon, into the evening.  I felt like I was on a roll by that point, but I’d rather hold off and make sure that my preceptor is feeling okay with the way that they’re turning out.  I’d hate to find out that I’m doing them all wrong!

Afternoon Snack: cottage cheese, Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal (which—by the way—is the only high fiber cereal that I actually enjoy), and a scoop of peanut butter

One of Augusts’ many goals was to become more green. 

I think I’m finally progressing in a positive direction.  My ‘problem’ with wasting trash bags and paper towels has decreased considerably. 

And as far as food goes?  Well, it doesn’t get much more green then eating a green salad filled with local (as in home-grown) vegetables.  Green.  In every sense of the word. 😀

• beet greens
• tomatoes
• celery and carrot (which were not from the garden, unfortunately!)
• last of the homemade basil hummus
• olive oil and sea salt

With some kashis on the side for some c-r-u-n-c-h action.

I loved hearing about all the ways you guys &  gals unwind after a busy day.  I could relate to many of them, and found myself nodding in agreement.

Tonight, I unwound with a 3-mile run and a 1-mile walk (to break up the run.)  It took some motivation to get myself out the front door, but I was so happy to be trotting along once I actually got movin’.  Happy.  So, so happy. 

A run truly does slow things down.

Question: Do you have any goals, plans, ideas, thoughts, or expectations for September? 

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lucky leftovers

(appropriate title for Friday the 13th?)

I opted to delay breakfast for an hour this morning, after deciding that a full meal at 5:30 would leave me starving by 8.  I don’t mind throwing in a snack here and there to tide me over, but I don’t want to be scarfing down lunch by 10. 😉

I snagged a date, guzzled some water, and carried on with every other morning ritual.  By the time I was finished, there was a good 30 minutes left for me to enjoy breakfast.  This worked out so perfect.  I’d much rather be eating breakfast at 6:30 vs. 5:30. 😉

Another beet green smoothie in a bowl!!  This time I added in 1/2 a frozen banana and topped it off with a sprinkle of Natures Path Pumpkin Flax Granola.  Delish. 😀

On the side, a whole wheat english muffin smeared with Teddy pb.

Natural lighting is so much nicer, but unfortunately, it was still pitch dark out this morning due to the cloudy overcast, so breakfast was eaten indoors. 😉

A packed morning snack: peach and almonds

Thank you all so much for all the great tips and advice for helping me become more green when it comes to packing my lunches!  I think I need to plan a shopping trip to Target soon, and stock up on some tupperware containers, in a variety of sizes.

Today, I didn’t use one plastic bag for packing lunch, and I was pretty proud of that fact.  I’m well on my way to becoming an earth friendly lunch-packer.

Salads are my favorite go-to lunch choice.  They always taste so fresh, crunchy, delicious.  Very refreshing.  Today’s combo included all the basics (tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms) plus some garbanzo beans, a drizzle of EVOO and a sprinkle of sea salt.  On the side I had some kashis, which fit perfectly in my little canning jar. 😀

Dessert!!

Notice anything missing?

Yes, that would be a fork.  I completely forgot to pack along a fork for my salad, which resulted in my running to a local cafe to ask (or…beg) if they would please let me have a fork.  I think the girl felt sorry for me, and she was kind enough to send me away with two. 😉

Last day of orientation today!!

These three days have absolutely flown by.  The preclinical training begins on Monday, and I have a massive amount of organizing and homework to do over the weekend.  I’m actually really excited for it all.  It feels good to be back into a routine, and I love filling in a new planner and organizer. 

On the way home, I decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks for a grande iced soy misto.  For money purposes, I can’t let this starbucks thing become a habit, by the way.  But it was definitely a fabulous treat for the 2 hr. drive home. 😀

Leftover pizza should never be microwaved.  Ever. 

If you think that’s a bold statement or happen to feel offended, don’t be.  I’ve been known to throw leftover pizza into the microwave too.  Or eat it cold, which is a pleasure in and of itself.  But, really, if you want to experience leftover pizza as if it was just freshly made that night, you need to heat it on a pan.

Like so:

I simply place the slices on a nonstick pan at medium heat, cover it, and let it heat up for a good 5-10 minutes. 

Crispy.  The crust is so, so, so crispy.  And the cheese melts right into the dough.  It’s perfect.  And that is why it’s the only way that leftover pizza should ever be reheated. 

I added some spinach to my pizza for some extra flavor and veggies.  Simply dethaw the spinach in the microwave, drain the liquid and chop it up a bit with a knife.  Then—voila!  Spinach pizza. 

I followed my dinner with a brisk 2.5 mile walk and 20 minutes of yoga.  After sitting down all day, it felt absolutely delicious to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and walk.  Delicious!

So excited for the upcoming weekend!  Tomorrow I’m going over Nicole’s house for a cookout/bbq with friends, and I offered to make a dessert and bring some hummus & veggies.  Any brilliant dessert recipes?? 😀

Question: What is your favorite way to eat leftover pizza?